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One tough mama: Gray whale successfully defends calf from orca pod

A mother gray whale successfully defended her calf from a pod of killer whales

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Updated: 6:30 PM CDT May 1, 2017

One tough mama: Gray whale successfully defends calf from orca pod

A mother gray whale successfully defended her calf from a pod of killer whales

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Updated: 6:30 PM CDT May 1, 2017

One tough mama: Gray whale successfully defends calf from orca pod

A mother gray whale successfully defended her calf from a pod of killer whales

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Updated: 6:30 PM CDT May 1, 2017

MONTEREY, Calif. —

The ocean's giants are in full-blown combat here in the Monterey Bay.

A mother gray whale successfully defended her calf from a pod of killer whales Sunday.

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The mighty mother held her baby on her back and used her tail to fight back while the orcas attacked.

"The gray whale mom was very good at protecting her calf," Nancy Black of Monterey Bay Whale Watch said.

"The gray whale mom took her calf and swam very fast to the beach shoreline and saved her calf," Black said. The calf was battered in the hour-long battle, but survived.

GoWhales

Gray whales retreat to shallower waters to escape from killer whales.

The same pod of nine orcas has attacked five gray whale calves since April 19. Black and other longtime local whale observers said the number of battles that unfolded over the past two weeks is "unprecedented."

"And we don’t expect it to slow down any time soon," marine biologist Katlyn Taylor said.

Michael B. Nelson

Taylor also witnessed the mother defend her calf Sunday while on a Discovery Whale Watch boat.

"The killer whales took off at high speed to the west. It is very likely that another attack drew their attention away from the scene," Taylor said.

How are the humpbacks doing during these whale wars?

There are also about 70 humpback whales in the Monterey Bay right now. Interestingly, some humpbacks charged into the middle of orca vs. gray whale attacks, blowing their spouts and making the orcas back off.

On Monday, a fight between humpbacks and the orcas was documented by marine biologist Kelsey Haines, of Princess Monterey Whale Watch.

"We saw about five six different humpback and very actively fighting the orcas," she said.

Within the huge splashes, Haines saw the humpbacks try to defend the target of an orca hunt.

Gray whale mother and baby pairs migrate north from Mexico each year. As they swim across the Monterey Bay, a deep sea canyon sets the scene for some epic battles.

Haines said the pod has killed six gray whale calves in the past seven days. Typically, there are only 10 kills documented in an entire season.

"And who knows how many more we've not been able to witness," she said.

Editor's Note: There are restrictions on where you can fly drones over the marine sanctuary. Check the rules before taking one out.